Taxi drivers in bitter row with Craven District Council over CCTV
New rules say drivers must install CCTV in their vehicles which could cost them between ÂŁ450 and ÂŁ630
Last updated 4th Nov 2021
Taxi drivers are at loggerheads with Craven District Council over CCTV.
From 1 January 2022 the council has ordered all licensed drivers to have camera equipment in their cars, but the kit which can cost up to ÂŁ500 must be paid by the cabby.
But drivers feel the timing is wrong as work is still to recover since it was hit during the Covid pandemic.
John Pickering, who has been a taxi driver in the area for the last 30 years, said:
"At the moment trade is still picking up and it's still very slow. The cost probably amounts to about two weeks work and at the current timing it is a big ask.
"If people had any savings or anything to fall back on it's certainly gone now. This is just not the right time.
"I don't feel it is necessary in the long run, especially as the council's are all joining together under one umbrella. What's to say once devolution has finished that they implement their own rules and the system is scrapped? Then we're all out of pocket.
"If the local council wanted to install CCTV outside my house they wouldn't knock on people's doors asking them to contribute to the cost of it."
The policy was first agreed in 2018 but its official implementation had been delayed following consultation with the licensed trade and the effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
All new vehicles have already been required to meet this requirement since January 2021.
We reached out to Craven District Council for comment. A spokesperson said: “Councillors have agreed the cameras will benefit the public in the remaining time Craven District Council is operational and we are unable to comment on what the policy of the new council for North Yorkshire could be.”
Cllr Simon Myers, chairman of the Licensing Committee, previously commented:
“Craven is the first council in North Yorkshire to make cameras inside taxis mandatory.
“Taxi cameras should provide an additional deterrence to prevent risks to both passengers and drivers, and they can also add investigative value when the Council or the police are required to look into incidents or complaints against drivers or passengers.
“The use of taxi cameras will provide a safer environment for the benefit of drivers and the public.”
It was agreed that a hardship scheme would be launched to assist drivers who cannot afford to purchase them immediately and allow them to apply to delay installation.
Councillors also agreed to amend its Taxi Policy to meet the new Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards where it currently doesn’t.
The Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy adopted in 2018 already met the majority of the recommendations but there are now new guidelines that increase the amount of time that must pass following certain convictions before a driver can be licensed by the Authority.
The new standards will also see new conditions for private hire operators, such as a requirement for operators to carry out checks and keep records on booking and dispatch staff.